


Crazy Four

by Felicity_The_Cat



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Mental Institution, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institutions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-01-02 07:13:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21157700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felicity_The_Cat/pseuds/Felicity_The_Cat
Summary: Chica wakes in a strange room. She doesn't have a clue where she is. Her arms are restrained and her body is in pain.She meets three new friends; Bonnie, Foxy and Freddy. The children are all confused as to why they're in this strange place.Chica quickly discovers she's been placed in a mental ward. They all want answers but as time goes on Chica realizes she needs to hurry and get out before it's too late. Is it already too late?





	1. Welcome To The Ward

**Author's Note:**

> I originally began writing this on Fanfiction.net on Nov 10, 2015 and stopped updating on Apr 5, 2016  
I'm rewriting the first five chapters I published and finishing the story once and for all.
> 
> This is an AU. It doesn't follow the original FNAF plot whatsoever.
> 
> -There was no pizzeria  
-The characters are human children.
> 
> Hopefully I'll finish this before the end of the year!

Darkness engulfed the world. It seemed to stretch on forever with the promise of never letting light touch the poor child’s skin ever again. The sound of rain was the only noise that filled the small child's ears. It was a sound that should have been relaxing but only served as an ominous echo; causing the small space to seem impossibly smaller.

Everything hurt… Her head throbbed and her eyes hurt horribly. They felt strained and tired, leaving the girl with zero desire to open them up and face the darkness that swallowed her up.

Her shiny blonde hair was a frizzy, tangled mess and her body was ice cold. Her toes and fingers were the worst off. They felt numb and were cold to the touch. It was a miracle she wasn’t suffering from frostbite. Her skin burned. A thin sheet was draped on top of her but it didn't do much to warm her. It was thinner than a beach towel and didn’t help keep any of her body heat trapped against her. She may as well have been left outside. The only advantage she had while being cooped up in this darkness was staying dry. 

One fluffy white pillow lay below her head, barely propping it up. Her neck was sore as well.

The girl made a move to rub her eyes but felt something holding her arms down.

Her big baby blue eyes fluttered open in alarm, attempting to scan the small room she was in.

Her heart was beating at a thousand miles an hour and she was scared to death. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she was able to make out little details in the room.

In front of her was a metal door, securely locked; not that she could tell from glancing at it.

To her right was a small mirror on the wall. The glass pane loomed above an old sink that sat beside a toilet. There was no wall separating the toilet from the rest of the room but a blue curtain hung from the ceiling for privacy. The fabric of the curtain looked thicker than the sheet over her frail body. 

The floor was cold and made of a glossy tile. On the wall beside her bed was a small window at the top of the ceiling. It was far too high for her to see anything through. There were bars covering it, preventing anyone from breaking it to get in or out. Panic set in. This place looked like a prison. This place wasn’t familiar. She opened her mouth to scream.

"Help!! Somebody help me!" the child cried out, squirming and kicking frantically on the bed.

Her feet weren’t tied down as her arms had been. She thrashed and bounced on the bed, attempting to break out of her bonds and free herself from the bed where she was tied.

A few minutes went by and her struggles ceased. Nobody was coming. The child panted, chest rising and falling in short, quick breaths as she tried to catch her breath. Her struggle had done nothing to help her in any way. It was a pointless waste of energy.

Where in God's name was she, anyway?

The girl's eyes drifted over to the window as she shuddered. She watched the rain fall steadily on the other side of the bars. Little droplets of water were clinging to the glass, slowly running down the window and out of sight. Was this some kind of prison? Had she done something wrong? It had already been made obvious that there was no use in screaming for help. Now that she thought of it if she were to gain someone's attention it may not be the best thing.

_ "What's my name? _ " She thought quietly to herself, closing her eyes tight as she desperately tried to recall out who she was. 

_ "Chica..." _ She whispered out to nobody before opening her eyes once more and looking around the room again. Last names didn't matter at the moment. Her name was Chica and wherever she was... she wanted out. Everything was scaring her to death. She faintly recalled that she was only about eight years old. Staying awake would do no her good and continuing to struggle in a futile attempt to break the straps that tied her down was pointless.

She would have to wait until morning for answers when someone would hopefully come into the room… The girl took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, turning her head away from the window in favor of staring at the grey wall.

" _ Sleep... Sleep... Sleep... _ " She muttered to herself, closing her eyes tightly.

It took an eternity but the girl finally was able to fall asleep. Her chest gently raised up and down with each precious breath she drew as the rain continued to pour outside throughout the night.

The sound of the door clicking open woke the child.

Sunlight flooded into the room as she squinted her eyes. Once her vision adjusted her attention locked onto a pale man standing in front of her. He had brown hair and was wearing a black hat, a blue shirt and a pair of jeans and sneakers.

His blue eyes locked with hers as he reached down, unlocking the straps on her arms.

He gave a gentle smile to her as she sat up. She rubbed her wrists and looked around the room. It was a lot brighter now but there wasn’t anything new to see that she hadn’t seen the night before. She turned back to look at the man.

" _ W-Where am I? _ " She stuttered out meekly. She caught sight of a nametag on his shirt.

_ ‘Mike’ _

"Breakfast is in the sanctuary..." Mike said softly and ruffled her hair before turning and walking out. His footsteps grew further and further away, leaving the child more confused than before.

". _ ..Well, that didn't answer my question... _ " She grumbled to herself. Chica stood up and glanced down at her bare feet as they made contact with the cold floor.

Now able to see a lot better in the sunlight Chica realized she was wearing a red dress. Black trim decorated the bottom of the fabric and three white buttons trailed the front of it. Chica hesitated before feeling the buttons gently. They didn’t hold her interest long before she turned back to the bed. There was a black pair of shoes on the floor.

Chica reached out and grabbed onto them. She sat back down on the bed, pulling soft white socks out of the shoes. After she successfully slipped both the shoes and socks on she hopped off the bed with a bounce. Now that her feet weren’t freezing she began approaching the doorway with caution. Chica peeked out slowly. The hallway was very clean and bright. The walls were lined with several doors. Each one was wide open, revealing rooms identical to hers.

Where was she anyway? This looked like some kind of odd hotel. Hotels didn’t tie people down last Chica knew. The girl nervously paced down the hall, very aware of the soft noises her shoes made against the smooth floor. She wasn’t walking for long before she reached a room filled with furniture. It was much more open than the hallway and lively too.

Several couches sat in the room surrounding an old TV that was currently turned off.

A couple of bookshelves were in the room with several colorful books peeking out. Some weren’t slid inside correctly with the pages facing out rather than the title. There was a coffee table placed in the middle of the room. It wasn’t far from the TV. It was placed the perfect distance from the couches; the perfect distance to walk in between and to prop your feet up.

In one of the corners was a wooden table with an old record player resting on it. Several old records were stacked underneath of the record player. Some of them were stored beside it as well. The furniture wasn’t the most interesting part of the room, though.

There were three other children in the room. Each child was doing different things.

A red-haired boy sat on a couch, holding a toy pirate ship as he quietly examined it.

He was wearing a black T-shirt, brown shorts and white socks.

On the other end of the couch sat a brunette boy. He was wearing a blue T-shirt, jeans, and white socks. In his hands he held a sketch pad and a pencil, not paying much attention to the world around him. There wasn’t much to pay attention to in the room, though.

Across from that couch sitting all alone was a purple-haired boy. He was the closest to Chica but his back was turned; oblivious to her presence. In his hand, he held a brown acoustic guitar. He was gently strumming the chords, humming some kind of nursery rhyme that sounded extremely familiar to Chica. He had a red T-shirt on, black shorts and was barefoot, unlike the other children. How did he stand the cold floors? The red-haired boy glanced up and caught sight of Chica. A sudden smile blossomed across his face and his eyes lit up. The other two boys hadn’t noticed her enter yet.

"Hey, It's the new girl!" The redhead giggled out excitedly, pointing to her and bouncing where he sat. The other two other boys looked up at her curiously. Chica nervously waved, not knowing who they were or what this strange room was in this strange place.

The purple-haired boy quickly sat the guitar down and hopped up and out of his seat, spinning around and extending his hand to her.

"Hello there!” He chirped out excitedly. “I'm Bonnie but you can call me Bon if ya like..." He flashed her a toothy grin. Freckles were all over his face but they weren’t nearly as eye-catching as his several missing front teeth.

"Calm down, Bon. Don't scare her..." The brunette sighed, setting down his sketch pad and walking over to them. He extended a hand to Chica as Bonnie stepped back a bit to give him room. The brunette took hold of Chica’s smaller hand, shaking it gently. She was visibly nervous but if he felt offended by her weariness he didn’t say a word.

"I'm Freddy. You can call me Fred..." Freddy introduced himself with a pleased hum.

The red-haired boy approached Chica next, smiling and extending his hand out. Chica was calming down a bit and took Foxy’s hand a little quicker than she’d grabbed ahold of Freddy’s. "I'm Foxy... And you are?"

"C-Chica..." The girl nervously smiled, shaking his hand and taking a step back away from the boys once the formalities were out of the way. The trio was certainly proper for a group of kids.

Chica’s eyes trailed over at an enclosed room not far from them where she caught sight of Mike, sitting and going through paperwork. There was a long horizontal glass window that allowed her to see into the office; at least she thought it was an office. It certainly looked like one.

"W-Where am I?" She finally asked, turning back to the boys.

"Try asking them anything around here..." Foxy half chuckled half whined, shaking his head and glancing over at Mike who seemed to take no notice in the children staring at him.

"Well, we call it The Ward..." Freddy spoke up. Bonnie shrugged and sat back down on the couch. He picked the guitar back up and started tuning it, sighing softly.

"That was his idea..." He informed Chica with a nod to Freddy.

"And we all go along with it..." Freddy chuckled, walking back over to his side of the other couch across from the one Bonnie was sitting on. He flopped down with a huff.

Freddy picked his sketchpad and pencil up and looked back over at Chica.

"You can sit by Bon. This couch would be a little cramped with three people..." Freddy chuckled as Foxy sat beside him. The addition of Chica wouldn’t be comfortable.

"Are you calling her fat?" Foxy asked with a playful chuckle. He sat down beside Freddy and picked up his toy ship again. Freddy shook his head and rolled his eyes with a huff. 

"Stuff it..." Freddy growled. Foxy chuckled and glanced up at the clock, clearly eager about the approaching time.

Chica smiled a bit and walked over to the couch where Bonnie sat, sitting down next to him.

"So... Why do you guys call this The Ward?" She asked, looking up at Bonnie curiously.

Bonnie was silent for a moment before shrugging and setting his guitar down on the coffee table in front of them.

"Because it  _ is  _ a ward... A mental ward..."

Chica's heart sank as the sound of a bell filled the room.

Freddy and Foxy quickly set their things down and scrambled out of the room, running to a door just along the wall across from the couches.

"Breakfast time!" Bonnie squealed, grabbing onto Chica's hand as he ran after the boys. Chica kept up with him as best she could, being pulled with urgency.

_ "A mental ward?" _ She thought to herself, completely and utterly horrified.


	2. Breakfast

Chica followed behind Bonnie quietly, holding onto his hand like a lifeline. This place was so odd and foreign that she felt even letting go for a moment would cause her to get lost. The purple haired boy led her over to a table where Foxy and Freddy were already sitting with plates of fresh, warm food in front of them. Chica sat at the table with some hesitance, never letting go of Bonnie’s hand. The boy didn’t seem to mind. He knew she was frightened. 

Bonnie and Chica sat side by side while Foxy and Freddy sat together on the other side of the table. Chica nervously looked down at the plate of food in front of her. The table had been set it seemed. She was just thankful she wouldn’t have to go up and get food from anyone she didn’t know. On the table in front of her was a plate of eggs, bacon, toast and a glass of milk.

Normally she would've been happy to have a warm meal in front of her but she was too shocked and scared to even care about the food.

Freddy and Foxy didn't seem to notice Chica’s discomfort. Their attention was elsewhere; specifically on their breakfast. Bonnie, unlike the other boys, noticed her hesitance to even eat. He raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner. He let Chica grip his hand a little tighter.

"You alright, Miss?" He asked in a soft, quiet voice. Chica blinked.

"Miss?" she asked as she looked up at him, managing a sweet yet short smile.

Bonnie blushed and shrugged, smiling a bit despite being flustered.

"I-I like to be polite..." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, chuckling nervously before glancing back down at his food. It was going to get cold...

"Well, I'm not alright..." Chica admitted. Her blue eyes met his lavender ones.

Bon looked back up at her, his voice suddenly filled with worry and concern. " _ How come? _ "

"You said... We're in a... M-Mental Ward?" There was that stutter again. She felt like she had been scolded in the past for stuttering… or was it for mumbling? Did it matter?

"...Mhmm..." Bonnie muttered, scooping up some of his eggs onto his fork and taking a bite.

Chica glanced down at her fork, finally picking it up, then glancing back over at Bonnie.

She finally let go of his hand and took a bite of her eggs. Her eyes drifted around the room, taking in everything it had to offer. It was a plain white room. Several tables were lined up across from each other and along one wall was a set of push doors.

A sign was nailed above the doors with red lettering on a wooden slab.  _ 'Kitchen' _

Why were there no other kids in the room aside from them? Come to think of it she hadn’t seen anyone besides her new friends and Mike in the entire building.

In the corner of the room Chica caught sight of a security camera pointed directly at them.

It was at that point she realized they were being watched. Their every move, their every movement was being monitored. Chica felt a chill run down her spine.

" _ W-Why are we here? _ " She stuttered out, turning back to Bonnie.

Freddy and Foxy glanced up with odd expressions on their faces.

The four were silent for a while until Foxy spoke up.

"We don't know..." The red haired boy said bluntly as his amber eyes drifted over to Freddy.

"They won't tell us a thing..." Freddy added, shaking his head and continuing to eat.

The boys went back to eating, letting silence consume them all.

Chica glanced over at them and shook her head, turning her gaze back to the kitchen door as a thousand more questions flooded her mind.

"Where's my mommy?" She questioned, turning back to the boys.

This time they didn't even bat an eye to her. They all remained silent, all of them but Bonnie.

"...They won't tell us..." Bonnie mumbled quietly, glancing up at her.

Chica shook her head and looked back at the other kids.

"But hey, we're workin’ on that..." Foxy grinned, talking in a low, devious voice.

Freddy nudged him roughly with his elbow and shot him a quick glare. Foxy winced. Freddy huffed and glanced up to look at Bonnie and Chica, casually taking another drink of milk while Foxy rubbed his arm where Freddy elbowed him.

"No matter what they claim, they ain't got no audio on those cams..." Freddy snickered, glancing at the camera behind him out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t dare turn his head to face the camera and acknowledge its presence. Even though there was no way the staff thought that the kids didn’t know about the cameras the idea of looking at them didn’t seem pleasant to any of them. Was that why Freddy and Foxy had sat with their backs to the camera before Chica got there? Did they not want to see it or did they not want to be seen?

"Keep quiet and none of em will hear you…” Freddy whispered softly to Chica before looking to Bonnie. Bonnie took another bite of his eggs, watching Freddy with interest.

“Bon, Tell her what we know after breakfast... I think we're being watched..." 

Freddy went silent and began to eat again. The three boys were acting casual, not wanting to rouse any suspicion and let their watcher know that they were aware of their presence.

Chica sighed, relieved that she was finally going to get answers. She felt a twinge of nausea. What if she didn’t like the answers she got? Would it be better to not know?

Well, either way she was going to find out.

After their meal the four children ran back into the Gallery, going back to doing whatever they pleased. Freddy went back to sketching and Foxy went back to playing with the pirate ship.

What was so entertaining about that hunk of nothing? Chica wasn’t sure and she didn’t ask.

Bon and Chica were sitting together on the couch again. Bonnie picked up his guitar and returned to tuning it, glancing over at Chica every now and again.

The suspense of not getting the answers was killing her but she didn't want to say anything aloud in fear that Mike or someone else might overhear. Bonnie noticed her anxiety and smiled, patting her on the back gently. It was meant to be reassuring but she hadn’t been expecting it. The touch made her jolt in surprise. Bonnie winced and sighed.

"We got some more sketch pads over there if you're into that... or books?" Bonnie offered.

Chica shook her head no, a blank expression coming across her face. It was really more of a frown at this point. Bonnie felt bad for her. Chica’s face scrunched up pitifully.

"I... Don't remember what I'm good at..." She muttered. What did she enjoy doing?

"Well you won't remember until you try..." Bonnie gave a friendly smile, looking back to his guitar and shrugging. "Just sayin..."

Chica smiled a bit and stood up. She walked over to the bookshelves, scanning through the stories for a moment. Not finding any that piqued her interest, she looked back to the boys, holding her hands behind her back shyly.

"Hey, uhh... Bonnie?" She called out in a voice barely above a whisper.

The boy looked up at her, smiling and rolling over, lying down on the couch on his stomach. "Yeah?"

"Where are the sketch pads?" She asked. Freddy quickly turned around and smiled, raising his hand up and pointing across to a door with his pencil. This door was much smaller than the one that led to the area where they’d had breakfast. It was near some of the bookshelves. There was nothing special about it. It was a door.

"In there. Pencils should be there too..." The brunette boy hummed.

Chica nodded slightly and made her way up to the door. She grabbed ahold of the handle and pulled it open. She was so caught up in the moment that she didn’t feel the need to cling to anyone. She could do this alone. She stepped into the room and walked inside without hesitation. She faintly heard the door fall shut behind her. The room was dimly lit, which sort of creeped her out. Now she was really wishing she’d forced Bonnie to come with her.

"Just get them and get out... Show them you're brave..." She quietly told herself, rubbing her arms nervously. Her black shoes clicked on the tile floor as she walked down the small room.

It was longer than it was wide. It reminded her of a large closet. A very odd closet.

A loud thud echoed from behind her. Chica spun around quickly. Her bravery had melted away in an instant. She trembled and took a step backwards, staring at the still-shut door.

"B-Bonnie?" She called out, looking directly at the metal door for several long moments.

Shaking her head, she tried to rationalize that she was hearing things...

After all, she was in a mental ward for something... Right?

Not knowing whether to be relieved that there was nothing or worried that she was crazy, Chica turned around and let out a heavy sigh. 

Directly in front of her stood a figure. Chica let out a squeak and stumbled back, eyes bugged out in terror. The figure stared at her for a brief moment, silent as he twitched ever so slightly.

He was blonde and had pitch black eyes. They were darker than the darkness that swallowed her room the night before. Blood soaked clothes clung to his body and the smell of it hit Chica like a freight train. The sides of the boy’s mouth had been slit and then sewn back together.

The child smelled like death, rotting flesh, mucus, blood and smoke.

Chica fell onto her back and stared up at the figure, hyperventilating as she trembled.

She didn't dare to move or attempt to say a word, fearing for her life.

The boy lingering in front of her wore a twisted frown and tears of blood slowly leaked from his eyes. Did he even have eyes or were they just dark, empty sockets? Chica didn’t know.

Taking a step towards her, he opened his mouth and the twitching grew more violent.

A deep groaning noise emitted from his throat as he leaned in closer to her. His fingers were sharp as daggers and his bloody body was only inches from hers. He quickly raised a hand up, ready to swing down and slice the girl open. As soon as he raised his arm, Chica let out an ear piercing screech.

The three boys all quickly looked up from what they were doing, terror filling their eyes.

"D-DON'T JUST SIT THERE!" Bonnie yelped, jumping up from his couch and darting back to the door only to find that the door handle was locked.

"N-NO!" He whined, violently tugging on it. He let out a frustrated whine and looked back to Foxy and Freddy. The two sat, doing absolutely nothing to help. They were frozen in fear. 

They remained still, sitting and watching Bonnie attempt to rip the door open.

" _ GUYS _ !" Bonnie screamed out desperately, tears trickling down his face as he turned and began to pound on the door. He punched at the metal, uncaring if he hurt himself in the process.

Snapping out of a trance like state, Foxy leapt over the back of the couch and ran towards the door, shoulder charging it. Bonnie moved out of the way just in time, dodging Foxy’s charge. As soon as Foxy rammed into the door it made a horrible clang and Foxy fell to the ground, wincing at the pain he’d just caused himself. He picked himself right back up and began pounding at the door with all his might, ignoring how sore his entire body was.

"Freddy! We need you to  _ -Help _ !" Foxy growled, pounding against the door.

Freddy sat motionless, not muttering a word.

" _ PLEASE _ !" Bonnie sobbed when he heard another high pitched wail from Chica.

  
" ** _PLEASE_ ** !"


	3. Three

Freddy leapt out of his seat. He stared at the door for a split second before charging at it.

Turning to his side so that his shoulder would collide with the door, Freddy busted it open with one good blow from his shoulder. On the other side of the door Chica was laying on the floor trembling. Her eyes were wide with terror and she was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling.

Bonnie's pupils shrunk as he ran over to her, falling to his knees and shaking her gently.

"C-Chica! Are you okay!?"

The girl remained silent as she stared up at the ceiling. Her breathing slowed as her eyes slowly trailed over to look at the three. Her chest lifted up and down shakily with every breath she drew and she slowly sat up. Her breathing had evened out and she seemed a little less… traumatized. She managed to find her voice but it was weak and croaky.

" _ What _ ..." She fell silent, raising a hand to hold to her chest, feeling her heart beating so hard it should have hurt. Could a heart explode from racing so fast?

"He was here..." Foxy mumbled under his breath, crossing his arms and glaring at Freddy as the brunette gave him a hateful glance. Freddy rubbed his shoulder with a wince.

"Shut it, Foxy..." Freddy sighed. He looked over at Bonnie and shook his head. 

"He's gone now, so let's just go back to what we were doing... Hm?"

Bonnie looked up at him, anger and shock flooding through him. From what Chica had seen, Bonnie was the calm and quiet kid of the group. To see him blow up was… unexpected.

"A-Are you being serious right now,  _ Freddy _ ?! SHE WAS JUST-"

"She was just what,  _ Bon _ ?" Freddy cut him off, shaking his head and putting a hand to his face.

He mumbled something under his breath before removing his hand from his face, his blue eyes scanning over Chica's body.

"She's not got a scratch on her..."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Foxy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She ain't hurt..." Freddy replied, looking down at Chica and Bonnie who were sitting on the floor. Foxy shifted his weight, still holding his arm in pain.

"And I reckon one of us better stay with her at all times if we wanna keep it that way..."

The two other boys nodded in agreement. Bonnie turned to Chica and extended a hand, smiling a bit as she grasped onto it. Was it a real smile? Chica couldn’t tell if he was happy to have saved her or if it was a fake smile he was showing to attempt and comfort her.

Either way, his smile masked his fear inside and it was hard to muster up the strength to even continue smiling. _ He knew what was going on, he knew what was happening. _

And it scared him to death.

There was nothing they could do to stop it. They'd done what they'd done and they couldn't change that now...

Chica opened her mouth to say something to Bonnie but she quickly decided against it. By the way the boys were acting she knew that they knew what was going on.

And Freddy, who she took for a kind and gentle kid, seemed to be trying to hide whatever the hell was happening from her… At least that's how it appeared to her. She would have to get answers out of Bonnie or Foxy once Freddy wasn't around or hopefully he’d just offer up the information to her directly… Doubtful...

Good luck to any unfortunate soul trying to find out anything in this place. Chica just wanted to wake up from this bad dream; to wake up in a soft, warm bed. She wanted to wake to a loving mother that would hug her when she got scared. She wanted to be able to go outside and feel the sunlight on her pale skin but instead she was trapped in some kind of mental asylum and she didn't even know  _ why _ .

Maybe she really was crazy... Maybe there was no boy in that room at all...

What if...  _ No _ ... She couldn't be crazy. The other boys knew...  _ They knew _ … Either she was sane or they were all crazy together. Either way she was glad she wasn't alone in the madness.

The four walked out of the room and Chica glanced back to Freddy who was lingering behind the others. Foxy followed right behind Chica and Bonnie leaving Freddy to shut the door behind them. Freddy shook his head and walked back to his couch, sitting down and picking up the sketch pad as if nothing had happened. Bonnie looked up to Freddy with a sad look in his eyes. Freddy caught Bonnie’s sad gaze and winced. Freddy shook his head again, sighing before looking back down at his sketches.

The sketch he was working on that showed a peaceful meadow was now ruined.

His careful, precise black ink strokes were scribbled over with dark red ink and it sent terror through him.

**"I'M STILL HERE**

**YOU CAN'T RUN**

**I'M COMING NOW**

**SO HAVE YOUR FUN"**

A lump formed in the boy's throat as he started sweating, gripping onto the sketch pad tightly and glancing around to the others. Foxy was staring down at the floor, clearly lost in thought. He always said that his mind was filled with a thousand thoughts whenever asked what he was thinking about when he drifted off. Bonnie and Chica sat together on the couch; both of them were silent and motionless. Freddy looked back down at the sketch. The words were gone.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he set down his sketch pad on the coffee table in the middle of the couches, taking deep, nervous breaths.

" _ Dear God, no... Please. God, no... _ " Freddy thought to himself, biting his lower lip hard. To say he was terrified was an understatement.

Lunch time came around and not many words had been spoken between the four since the incident. The kids sat at the table in silence. The only sound was that of a clock gently ticking throughout the big, empty room. Foxy held a fork in hand, repeatedly stabbing a piece of chicken, then sliding the fork out and stabbing it back in.

No one was very hungry at all but Chica and Freddy hadn't eaten a bite.

Freddy sat quietly with his hands resting on his lap. He continued biting his lip.The inside had bled a little bit and the taste of blood made him cringe. Bonnie, who was sitting next to Chica, noticed some blood around Freddy's mouth and spoke up.

"You alright, Fred?" He asked. Foxy and Chica's attention turned to Freddy with curiosity and worry. Chica held onto Bonnie’s hand gently. Sitting beside the boy seemed to help her calm down some after the…. Whatever had happened.

"M-Me? Y-yeah, I'm fine..." Freddy choked out, balling some of his pants up into his palms nervously. The tone in his voice and his nervous compustore gave him away instantly.

"You don't seem very fine..." Foxy noted, looking at him curiously.

Freddy's blue eyes locked with Foxy's amber ones for a short moment before returning to stare at his lap. Freddy smiled awkwardly and shook his head.

"I'm fine..." He repeated, nervously shuffling his feet around.

"No you're not..." Bonnie said, glaring at him. Freddy remained silent and shook his head, trying to insist that he was alright. Despite his best attempts at lying everyone could see the terror deep inside of his blue eyes.

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Chica finally spoke up, setting her fork down and looking at the other three.

"Nothing that ain't happened before..." Foxy mumbled, shaking his head and looking off into the distance, clearly not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. If Chica saw anyone else shake their head that day….

"What's that mean?" Chica asked. She noticed Freddy and Bonnie avoiding eye contact with anyone as well. Bonnie took a deep breath and went to speak but Mike walked into the room before he could say a word. All of the children stilled at the arrival of the adult.

"Freddy, you're needed for your checkup..." The pale male said, holding a clipboard tightly in his hands. The other three slowly turned and looked at Freddy. Unlike Chica, the boys looked terrified. They looked as if Freddy had just been delivered his death certificit.

"I d-don't w-w-wanna..." Freddy choked out in a broken sob, rocking back and forth as thick tears ran down his face. Mike took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh before turning and walking out, leaving the four alone. Once they were sure he was gone, Foxy spoke up. 

"He's coming back to get-"

"I know!  _ I know! _ As if I don't  _ fucking  _ know!" Freddy yelped out in a quiet, raspy voice. The boy sniffled and sobbed as more tears trailed down his face. His pale face was turning red from the crying and he sniffled, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. 

Chica stood up and walked over to Freddy, pulling him into a sudden hug.

Freddy wasn’t sure how to react to the show of affection for a moment but hugged back, clinging to her tightly. He held onto her so tight it almost hurt.

Leaning in close to her ear, Freddy managed to let out a raspy whisper, broken sobs breaking up the words.

" _ H-He'll g-g-get you t-too... _ "

Chica stood there wide eyed as Freddy pulled away from her, eyes red from crying. Chica looked back up as Mike made his way back inside of the room holding onto a straightjacket.

" _ Goodbye _ ..." Freddy whispered out to them all. Tears were forming in Foxy and Bonnie's eyes.

Mike walked up to him and slid the jacket onto his trembling frame. Freddy wasn’t sitting still. He was weakly trying to jerk away. Mike shot him a dirty glare and the child looked down at the ground, fear and sadness overtaking him and causing him to freeze up.

The man apparently didn't notice the child's tears or he simply didn’t care to acknowledge them. He and pulled Freddy from his seat and walked him out of the room, holding the child by the arm. Freddy glanced back at the others, tears streaming down his face as he lipped something to them.

" _ Three _ ..."

Bonnie and Foxy shook their heads, tears streaming down their faces as they silently cried. Despite their short time together, Chica found herself sobbing. 

Freddy was gone. Where he was going was unknown to them but Foxy and Bonnie knew they wouldn't see him again. Chica's heart hurt. It felt as if she’d been stabbed in the chest. She wanted to throw up and scream but all that came out were whines and sobs. She kept hearing Freddy's voice ringing through her ears.

  
" _ He'll get you too... _ "


	4. Gold

That night Chica couldn’t sleep. She was wide awake in her cell, staring up at the ceiling as the quiet of the night brought an eerie sense of dread. The child was already petrified, though.

She wanted to hide under a table with Bonnie and pretend that all was well. Being alone in her room- or cell, rather, wasn’t all that comforting. The isolation only served to make her more fearful of the dark and what could have been hiding in it.

Her body was freezing cold and her fingertips were numb from the lack of warmth in her body.

The thin sheet that was provided for her didn't help much. She didn't know if the room was truly cold or if it was all in her head. Surely the Ward would make sure that their patients didn’t freeze, right? Countless questions ran through her head; most of them she knew she wouldn’t get the answers to. Who was the boy she saw in the back? Where did they take Freddy?  _ Why  _ did they take Freddy? She knew that Mike had said that Freddy needed shots or something.. Did it help Freddy with whatever problems he had? Did he really need some kind of medication to keep him from going mad? They were in an insane asylum, after all...

Her lungs filled with the cold, damp air and Chica shuddered at the feeling of the freezing cold.

"I shouldn't be here.." She thought to herself. "Freddy shouldn't be here.. Foxy shouldn't be here.. Bonnie-" A metal clanging sound echoed from the end of her bed and she jerked herself up. Did she really need or want to see what was the cause of the noise, though? Chica shook and stared down at the end of the bed. Slowly and cautiously, she leaned forward, squinting in the dim moonlight bleeding through the small window that lit up the room ever so slightly.

The sound of metal clanging echoed through her room again. This time it came from the top of her bed. Chica spun spun around and scrambled over to the top of the bed. Chica leaned forward, hanging her head down as she gripped onto the thin mattress tightly. She stared under the bed, half expecting to see… something. Thankfully there was nothing to see under the bed except darkness. The darkness was so persistent that it made her wince. When she sat up and looked around the moonlit room the change of light hurt her eyes. Chica squinted and rubbed her eyes with a sigh. 

Maybe she was going mad. Was there really even a sound?

_ CLANG! _

Spinning around as fast as she possibly could, Chica's eyes widened in horror upon seeing Freddy standing next to the blonde boy. They stood by her bed. The moonlight seemed to go through them as if they weren’t truly there. The two looked real, though. They were really there.

Freddy had a straitjacket on and his eyes were pitch black, much like the blonde boy next to him. Black tears ran down his face as he shook his head, sobbing.

" _ Three left... Three left... _ " Freddy softly sobbed. The blonde boy stared at Chica with a blank expression. His dark eyes were locked onto her and his hand was clutching onto Freddy’s shoulder firmly. Freddy slowly vanished into the darkness as quickly as he had appeared.

Chica's breathing became ragged and laboured. The girl slid to the edge of her bed and pressed her back firmly against the wall.

The blonde boy remained at the end of the bed. He stared at her as if he was studying her.

His eyes were pitch black just as Freddy's were although they seemed impossibly darker.

He wore a purple vest and scars decorated his body. Black steaks were running down his face just like Freddy had. They looked like the odd dark tears Freddy was crying. It resembled tar but thinner. It slid down his cheeks slowly, shimmering in the moonlight. Unlike Freddy, this was different. This boy’s eyes were leaking but he didn’t look sad and wasn’t crying. Chica let out a pathetic noise akin to a whine when she realized the boy wasn’t even touching the floor; He was just floating there... Silent. Chica didn’t dare to speak and disrupt the silence. She was frozen with fear as she sat there, staring at the floating figure.

What could he possibly want from her?

Tears rolled down the little girl's face as she latched onto the thin sheet on her bed with a death grip, pulling It up over her chest.

" _ It's just a dream.. It's just a dream... _ " She whispered to no one but herself.

The blonde boy tilted his head a bit as a look of anger crossed his face.

" ** _THREE... LEFT..._ ** " He growled out in a voice that could only be described as the growl of a monster. The boy vanished in the blink of an eye as if he was never there in the first place.

Even though the boy was gone Chica still trembled like the scared child she was.

She jolted at the sound of distant laughter as it echoed through the halls of the asylum.

It was a deep, slow laugh and didn't sound human whatsoever. Chica quickly curled up under the blanket and began sobbing into her pillow. She wasn’t even aware that a human could shake like she was in that moment.

" _ It's not real, It's not real... _ " Chica muttered to herself. She felt so alone. Talking to herself was pointless but it was helping to ground her to reality. 

The morning came quicker than she could have ever hoped and warm rays of sunshine came in through the small barred window. Chica drowsily sat up, rubbing her eyes upon hearing her cell door screech as it opened. At least the terrifying ordeal that occured in the night was over with.

She wasn't able to stay asleep for long periods throughout the night. When she finally managed to drift off from exhaustion she'd be forced back awake. The sound of Freddy crying or distorted laughter in the distance made sure she got no rest.

"I really am mad.." She thought as she looked up at Mike with tired eyes.

"How'd you sleep last night?" Mike asked, kneeling down to her height and pulling out a violet colored pill. Chica glanced at the tablet but didn’t think too much of it.

"Awful..." She replied, rubbing the side of her arm gently.

Mike slipped the pill into the girl's mouth and handed her a glass of water.

She took the pill without a fight; swallowing it with water and cringing at the taste.

"Better than chewing them.." Mike said with a kind smile. He stood back up and looked over at the small barred window, eyeing the beams of light flooding in.

"I'll make sure to get some sleeping meds for you.." He added before walking to the door.

"The others are already awake..." He hummed, not bothering to look at her before vanishing out into the hall. Chica rubbed her arm and felt goosebumps all along her skin. She shuddered and stood to her feet. Chica didn’t want to linger in that room a second longer. She quickly paced out of her cell and wandered down the hallway.

Even though sunlight lit up the halls, shining in from the small windows from inside of the other cells, Chica still felt like it was dark. It was like an evil darkness that would consume the world if she blinked. If she, or anyone- stopped paying attention to anything for even one moment it would all be gone. Everything would be consumed in darkness like a horrific nightmare that would never end.

As she rounded the corner, Chica looked at the others.

Bonnie sat on a couch alone, staring at the fabric of the cushions with a blank expression. Foxy was sitting on the other couch in complete silence. It was clear he was lost deep in thought.

Usually Chica would feel compelled to say, ' _ Good morning! _ ' Or even a small ' _ Hello! _ ' to greet them but she didn’t make a sound. Today wasn't the day for being cheerful.

The others  _ knew  _ what was going on. That was clear to her now.

They didn't bother asking Mike any questions about Freddy or any of the other caretakers for that matter. The two boys weren’t even whispering amongst themselves.

A chill ran down Chica's spine as Bonnie turned and looked at her. His eyes were filled with fear even though he tried to hide it. She could see fresh tears still on his face; the wet liquid was shining from the sunlight on his otherwise dry face. Foxy glanced up at both of his companions. He shook his head in disbelief and smiled ever so slightly.

"Who's next..?" The red headed boy questioned. It was a rather bleak and morbid thing to even consider saying. Bonnie glared at him before glancing over at Chica with a much softer look.

"Sorry.." Bonnie apologized meekly, looking away from Chica with a sheepish frown; afraid he'd glared at her on accident. Chica sat down next to Bonnie on the couch, shaking her head. 

"Don't be-" She tried to comfort Bonnie but was cut off by Foxy.

"Wonder if it will be me..." Foxy interrupted, staring off at nothing as he talked calmly. 

"...Or maybe you, Bon?" He asked, looking over at his friends. He looked as if he were about to break down at any moment. It looked like a mixture of sadness and anger.

"Maybe Chic-"

"That's enough..." Bonnie barked with a stern tone in his voice.

Foxy glanced over at him with a wince. He shook his head and let out a deep sigh. 

"Well, we'll all be taken soon.." He muttered coldly. While Bonnie seemed upset and quiet about their situation it was clear that Foxy was much more depressed and cynical about it.

"T-Taken?" Chica stuttered out, looking to Bonnie for answers which she knew she wouldn't get. "Taken where?" There was no reply.

"Taken where?" She repeated, this time a little louder. Her throat was tense and she felt like she was going to break down and cry. She didn't care who saw or what they thought.

She was agitated and didn't know where Freddy had been taken or who that blonde boy was.. She knew nothing.

" _ Away _ .." Bonnie muttered, just barely loud enough for her to hear.

"Away where?" She asked with a sniffle, wiping tears out of her eyes.

"Don't know.." Foxy joined in, standing up from his couch. "But wherever it is..."

"We don't come back.." Bonnie finished, looking away from the two.

"Yeah..." Foxy huffed, clenching his hands together and pacing up to a window.

The window was much more fancy than most things in the asylum. It stretched from the ceiling and nearly down to the floor. There were three windows in the room; all letting warm sunlight flood inside. Looking over at Foxy, Chica stood up. She walked up beside him and leaned forward to rest her arms on the windowsill.

"I...Why are we here?" She asked again. There was no response for a while.

"We've told you.. We don't know.." Foxy said in a hushed voice. He dug his short nails into the wooden windowsill underneath him as he stared out at the courtyard just on the other side of the window. The tall fence on the far side of the yard wasn’t a pretty sight. Barbed wire curled around the top of it, keeping things both in and out. The sight of it made all of the kids cringe.

_ ‘It’s just a way to keep us trapped.’  _ As Freddy would always say.

Foxy winced at the memory of Freddy...

"We'll never see him again.. Ya know?" Foxy asked in a whisper, looking at Chica sadly.

"I had a feeling.." Chica admitted with a wince. She tensed up and turned away from Foxy to look back out the window.

"So.. What now?" She questioned, looking back at Bonnie who was still sitting on the couch.

"Go on with life.. There’s nothing else we can do.." Bonnie replied sadly, standing up and walking over to the two.

"Life? This isn't a life.. You call this a life?" Chica grumbled, her gaze shifting between the two.

"No.." Foxy growled, looking back out the window; dreaming of being beyond that fence and being free. He could run far away from this place and never come back. He could be happy somewhere else. What about Chica and Bonnie, though? He couldn’t leave them.

"We're just biding our time until Gold gets us.." Foxy hissed.

As soon as that name left his mouth, Foxy received a hard kick in the leg from Bonnie.

" _ DON'T SAY THAT NAME!! _ " Bonnie growled in a harsh whisper, receiving a somewhat fearful look from the smaller boy. Bonnie was bigger than Foxy. The fact that he was being threatened by someone bigger than himself made Foxy uncomfortable, even though he knew Bonnie would bring him no harm. Foxy turned away from Bonnie’s gaze and back to the window.

The red haired boy shook fearfully and raised his hand up, pointing to the sky. In the distance, dark clouds hung ominously not that far away and it looked as if a storm was rolling in.

"Every time there's a storm, h-he takes one of us.." Foxy whined out with a shudder.

He looked back at Bonnie who was still glaring at him. Foxy felt a wave of anger wash over him.

Why didn’t Bonnie want Chica to know anything? She clearly wasn’t being spared from this grim fate. The blonde boy had already shown himself to her. Her fate was sealed.

"She deserves to know! She’s one of us!" Foxy exclaimed a little louder than any of them were comfortable with. Bonnie lifted up his hands defensively and frantically nodded.

" _ Alright _ , okay!  _ Hush _ ! Before someone hears you.."

Chica stood motionless, staring out the window at the dark clouds.

"Why does... 'He'... take any of you?" She asked, looking to the two boys with a frightened look on her face. Storms weren’t her favorite thing to begin with but with the threat of this strange child selecting one of them to take, it made Chica dread the approaching rain even more.

Foxy opened his mouth to speak but then shook his head with a huff.

"We promised never to speak of it.." Bonnie said gently, looking down at Chica sadly.

Chica was the shortest of the three remaining kids. She would be so easy to snatch up...

There was a long silence among the three until Bonnie broke it.

"But.. Tonight..."

He fell silent once more, looking down at his feet for a moment.

"One of us will be taken.." Bonnie’s voice had zero hope in it. The boy knew that one of his friends would be picked off that night and there was nothing he could do about it.

One of them would be taken... Never to come back..

_ And there was nothing they could do. _

  
  


" _ HELP _ !" A voice screamed through the halls. It was around midnight and Chica was lying in her bed. Her little frail body was chained down to the mattress. The old rusty chains were digging into her skin with every little move she made.

" _ HELP _ !" The voice screamed out again. Chica continued to struggle despite the chains that were digging into her flesh. When had the chains even been put on her? She couldn’t even remember going to bed. Everything past dinner was a blurry mess.

A new voice chimed through the halls; this one sounded calm and almost inhumane.

" _ One _ ..."

Wiggling around as hard as she could, Chica began to slip out of the chains, feeling her skin tearing as she slid under the old, rusty metal.

" _ Two _ ..."

After managing to slide under the chains, the shock from the pain she was in suddenly shot through her body. Her face scraped against the chains as she finished freeing herself, causing several cuts across her skin. Blood ran out of the wounds, trailing down her cold skin. She charged into the door, bracing herself as she rammed into it. She needed to get out.

" _ Three _ ..."

This time the voice was closer and louder. It sounded menacing...

_ "No!!" _ Chica wailed desperately. There was no time to try and bust the door down; not that she would be able to, anyway. Chica turned and ran into the corner of the room, climbing onto the bed so fast she nearly slipped and fell. The girl stood on the tips of her toes, managing to barely reach the bars on the window. She gripped them tight and threw her body back, attempting to yank them off. She yanked several times despite the pain the old metal caused her hands.

" _ Four _ ..."

"Please!!" Chica's screams were cut off as three sharp claws impaled through her chest.

Jerking up in bed, Chica panted heavily.

The sound of rain was nearly deafening and thunder rumbled outside.

Pushing herself into the corner of the wall, Chica pulled the sheet up over her and grabbed her pillow, clinging to it tightly. The chains were nothing more than a dream. That voice and her death were nothing more than a horrible nightmare.

Hugging the pillow helped her to calm down to a degree. After the sun had gone down she'd been jumpy. She knew he was coming.  _ Gold  _ was coming, as Foxy had said..

And one of them would be taken. The nightmares wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon and trying to sleep would be useless. If she stayed awake would she even be able to fight off Gold? Would she even be the one to be chosen?

Only time would tell and the entirety of that night would be a living hell.


	5. A Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the last chapter I wrote before bailing on this series (for lack of motivation and a brief depression)
> 
> I'm excited to steer this series to its end. Feedback is always appreciated.

Chica sat in her bed, holding onto the thin bed sheet with a death grip.

The sound of thunder continued to ring through the halls of the asylum, sending shivers down her spine. What time was it?... It didn't really matter.

Were the others safe..? Were Foxy and Bonnie awake too?

They had to be. They must have been scared and alone in their cells...

Where was Freddy?

Was he dead?

" _ Maybe they cut off his head.. _ " Chica wondered for a brief moment before closing her eyes tightly and rejecting the morbid thoughts.

" _ That's sick. _ " She scolded herself with tears running down her cheeks.

But... Was he dead? After what seemed like hours went by the sound of footsteps echoing somewhere down the hall caused Chica to jump. Her eyes widened as she tried to force herself to stay awake. She had to stay awake! What if Gold was going to try and take her? 

She'd fight until the end. That she swore. If she was going down she'd kick and scream till the end.

_ Clank... Clank.. Clank.. _

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hall, eliciting fear in everyone who heard it.

" _ No _ !" Came a petrified yell. Whoever it was screamed at the top of their lungs and a loud crash followed. Recognizing the voice to be Bonnie's instantly, Chica jumped up out of bed and ran to her cell door.

" _ Bonnie!! _ " She screamed as she pounded on the door as hard as she possibly could. Broken, shaky sobs filled her room, echoing off the walls in a way that tormented her.

Her fingers were ice cold and numb already. Pressing up against the metal door wasn’t helping.   
She couldn't help but shiver as she continued to pound on the hard metal door.

" _ BONNIE _ !" She called again desperately. The distant sounds of crashes and a struggle ceased.

The only remaining noise was the heavy rain falling and the occasional roll of thunder. Chica’s heart sunk and her stomach twisted. She wanted to cry. She wanted to puke.

" _ Bonnie _ .." The girl softly sobbed to herself, looking down at the floor as the reality of her failure set in. There was no possible way she could've gotten out of her cell.

Whatever just happened wasn't her fault, so why did it feel like it was?

Surely he wasn't dead.. Right? There was no way he would die..

What did Gold want, anyway? What is it that he could possibly want..?

Their deaths?

Whatever it was that was driving the psychopath, it seemed he was slowly but surely getting what he wanted and there was nothing any of them could do.

The rest of the night was spent alone in her cell. She wept until her throat was sore and her voice was hoarse. Chica sobbed until she physically couldn’t any longer. The confusion as to why she was there ebbed at the back of her mind but was overshadowed by fear.

With no energy left Chica eventually gave way to sleep. Her brief moment of peace was cut short after only a few short hours of sleep, thanks to Mike. 

The pale man gave her a blank stare but somewhere on his blank face she could see sorrow.

" _ Wake up, honey.. _ " The man softly whispered as the little girl sat up, rubbing her eyes and squinting tiredly.

"Breakfast is ready." He said as soft as he could manage. He didn’t really emote that much before he walked out of the room. His keys jangled on his hip as he walked. The sound was annoying to Chica and it made her cringe. She wanted to sleep more but knew that she had to get up. Her entire body tensed. Nevermind sleep; she needed to know what happened to Bonnie. The exhausted child got out of bed and quickly walked out of her cell.

She had truly come to view the small room as a prison cell. Who could argue the idea?   
Certainly not anyone she considered a friend. The daylight was dim and dull as dark storm clouds gathered outside. Wonderful. More storms.

Chica absentmindedly took note of this as she made her way into the main living area, glancing over at the empty couches and huge windows. Upon seeing the closet where she first encountered Gold she shuddered and huffed. She couldn’t ever go back into that closet if her life depended on it. Chica shook her thoughts away and headed into the dining area.

Foxy was seated alone at the table. He was twitchy; shaking and shivering like a freezing lap dog. He was slouched over in a position that couldn’t have been comfortable.

An insane look was in his eyes; he almost looked distant. The boy stared blankly down at the plate of food in front of him. He clearly had no appetite.

"F-Foxy..?" Chica called out hesitantly, causing the boy to jerk his head up suddenly. Foxy stared at Chica as if he’d watched her die the night before. Had he expected her to be absent from breakfast?

" _ W-W-What? _ " He spat, holding his fork with a death grip as he continued to twitch violently.

Despite being creeped out slightly, Chica finally acknowledged that Bonnie was nowhere in sight. She didn’t want to ask where he was. She really didn’t. The words came nonetheless.

"Where is-"

" ** _DEAD_ ** ..." Foxy cut her off, staring down at his feet with another full body spasm.

"Dead and not coming back! Saw his blood. I saw his blood..." Foxy broke down into psychotic sobs that were mixed with laughter. 

"And we’re next! Oh, one of us won’t be lucky. One of us will be taken out and no one will remember us!! HA! HA HA HA!" Foxy laughed quietly and stared up at her. His demented smile fell and he stood to his feet suddenly, slamming his fists on the table. Silverware clanged and bounced but none of the food had gone on the floor, thankfully.

"For the love of God, we need to get out of here!!" He screamed out.

"B-But-" Chica shook her head and gave him a worried look, shaking with fear.

"If we don't- We'll die too." Foxy said, wiping his tears and sniffling as he quieted down.

Chica went silent for a moment before nodding in agreement. They needed to try.

"But there's the guards-" Chica tried to protest.

"I don't care. I'm not dying without a fight.." He growled, shivering as he gripped onto his red and black flannel sleeves. Reaching up inside the sleeve, Foxy pulled it up ever so slightly to show Chica a steak knife that he had tied to his arm.

"They'll never know what hit em.." He whispered, turning back to his food as he pulled the sleeve back down. Hopefully the camera hadn’t seen what the boy was hiding.

"W-We aren't going to kill them.. Are we?" Chica asked as she walked to her plate of food and stared down at it. She knew full well she couldn't take a bite. There was no way she could stomach any food after…. She let out a horrible whine as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

Foxy scooped up bite after bite of food, eating it at such a speed that it seemed like he was being starved. Giving food was one thing the Ward actually was good at doing.

Providing warmth and adequate blankets for its patients wasn’t on their list of priorities.

Foxy looked up at Chica for a brief moment and glanced down at her plate before swallowing a bite of food.

"Eat. You'll need to sleep too.." He sighed, sitting down gently at the table. Standing any longer would have exhausted the boy. He was too mentally and emotionally unstable at the moment to deal with physical exhaustion as well.

"I'll watch you... Don't worry... I won't let him get you.." He smiled faintly, looking up at her with hurt in his eyes. He hesitated before saying any more. His voice grew softer when he spoke.

"Bonnie.. Was my friend.. Maybe even closer than Freddy... and I want us to go on.. for his sake... for..."

The boy drew a few short sharp breaths, trying not to break into tears.

"We need a plan." Chica said as a change of subject, watching her as she began to eat.

"Don't worry, I’ve got that covered.." Foxy smiled faintly through his teary eyes.

"But I'll need your help.."

Chica nodded slightly, picking at her food as a chill once again made itself at home in her spine.

Were they going to have to kill someone..? What if it was Mike? He was so nice...

What would happen to them if they tried and succeeded? What would happen to them if they failed? Each second that passed was one second closer to their fate.

As Chica looked up at Foxy she swore his eyes were pitch black and leaking blood but upon blinking they were once again yellow and lively.

"Soon our fates will be sealed.." Foxy muttered with a shake of his head. 

"But if I die at least I'll go down with a fight.."

Chica clenched her fists. Die...

They could die..

This certainly was going to be an agonizing day...


	6. A Long Time Coming

Chica shifted in her seat out in the gathering room. The skies were dreary as more rain threatened to roll in. The small girl shivered as a distant roll of thunder echoed throughout the building. Foxy was sitting next to her, staring blankly at the pirate ship toy he’d been so smitten with just days before. The boy had clearly slipped into a state of shock. Two of his best friends had been taken away from him. Their caretakers wouldn’t answer any of their questions.   
  
Where was Freddy? They only received odd looks as the adults attempted to change the subject. Chica had clung to Mike just an hour before; snivelling and begging to know what happened to Bonnie. Mike had just given her the best sympathetic look he could manage and rubbed her shoulders reassuringly. Chica’s cheek was pressed against the cold leather of the black couch under her. Was this what death would be like? Cold and quiet?

“It’s nearly time for dinner.” Foxy stated in a hushed voice. He rubbed his hands together with a shiver, clearly cold as well. They should have attempted to get out of here when Freddy and Bonnie were still with them. Their attempt at gaining freedom had been a long time coming.

If only Bonnie and Freddy could have felt hope at the idea of breaking out.

What would the freedom cost? How many people did Foxy have to hurt with the knife before he could pull Chica to safety? He had silently swore to protect the girl from everything he could.

That was the least he could do for their departed friends.

Chica showed little interest in the idea of eating but nodded anyway. She needed to keep her energy up and didn’t need her growling stomach alert the caretakers of their presence when they were trying to sneak out of this god forbidden hellhole.

Chica looked down at her hands as she trembled.   
“Don’t hurt Mike…” he pleaded in the softest whisper Foxy had ever heard.   
He stared at her for a moment before hesitantly nodding.   
“If I can help it.” He assured her gently. Mike was the nicest of any of the caretakers. Him and Chica had clearly developed a small bond even if there wasn’t complete trust between the two.   
As if someone had heard Foxy mention their final meal for the day, the bell went off.

Foxy stood and sat his toy pirate ship down on the coffee table.   
“Come on.” He muttered as he made his way into the dining hall.   
  
The two ate in relative silence. Chica halfheartedly picked at the remaining half of her hamburger. She looked around the otherwise empty dining hall. Chica swallowed down a bite of her food with a small sigh. The Ward wasn’t very lively at all. Come to think of it… she hadn’t seen  _ any _ other patients aside from Foxy, Bonnie, Freddy and herself. Either they were good at rehabilitating people or something was off. She didn’t bother to ask Mike about it.   
Foxy leaned forward as he finished up his food. 

“Don’t back out, Chica.” He whispered. “We ain't ever gonna get another chance like this.”

Chica nodded meekly and took another bite of her food. Oh. She had let it get cold… 

How long had she been drifting in and out of thought?

Time went by at a snail’s pace until it was time for them to return to their cells.

Another storm was rolling in which meant that either Chica or Foxy were going to be picked off tonight if they didn’t escape. Foxy made sure that Chica knew the plan like the back of her hand before it was time for them to say goodbye. When Mike came to put them up in their cages for the night like dogs, Foxy embraced Chica in a firm hug.   
He whispered a soft, “It’ll be alright.” Before pulling away and following a caretaker to his room.

Chica wondered quietly if he really believed that as she watched him walk away.

Mike led Chica to her room for the night, asking her a few questions while they walked.

“How was your day? Do you want a sleeping pill? How was dinner?”

Chica replied to each question with a gentle smile. She politely declined the aid of a sleeping pill, assuring Mike that she was already tired and would have no trouble in falling asleep. The presence of the man made Chica feel a little safer. Surely Gold wouldn’t come to take her with him around. She had half a mind to ask him to stay with her throughout the night but decided against it. Foxy was ready to carry out their plan to escape and she’d promised to not back out. Besides, if Mike’s presence kept Gold at bay the blonde boy would just go after Foxy instead of her. She wasn’t dooming Foxy to that fate.   
Mike waited near the doorway as she crawled into her bed without being asked. He gave her a kind smile. He was happy to see her in a calmer state than she had been that morning.

Mike made his way over to the small bed and presented a pill to Chica.

It wasn’t a sleeping pill. All he had been telling her was that it was medication to help her.

Chica took it without a struggle. She saw no harm in taking it.

Mike ruffled her hair gently, wished her sweet dreams and then left.

Chica laid down in the small bed, curling up on her side with a shiver.

She was instructed to wait for an hour before making any moves. The distant chime of a clock down the hall would let her know when it was time to move. She felt as if time was standing still forever just to defy her. Chica knew that the thought was irrational even for a psych ward patient. As time slipped by ever so slowly, Chica found herself attempting to remember who she really was. Who were her parents? Who was she? Where did she live?   
No answers came to her before the bell tolled, unfortunately. 

Chica pushed herself out of bed without hesitation and slipped her little black shoes back on.

Once she was satisfied that they were on comfortably she ran over to the door.

With some hesitation, Chica took ahold of the metal door handle gently and pulled.

It…. came open. It had worked. Chica’s eyes drifted down to where the door should have latched shut but was unable thanks to the sock she’d crammed into the small crevice… or… part of a sock, anyway. The sock was too big to shove in there completely.

The little blonde girl peeked down the hall, looking to the right. The halls were void of light and were only dimly lit by the small amount of moonlight that had managed to peek through the windows and storm clouds. Chica looked to the left and saw down into the direction where the sanctuary, office and dining hall were. She needed to get to the showers… Foxy said he’d be there as soon as he could to lead the way. Chica lingered in the doorway, leaning up against the metal frame in complete silence. When the sound of approaching footsteps startled Chica she stumbled back into her room and shut the door and quietly as she could manage.

The footsteps were quick and light. Chica realized rather quickly that they couldn’t possibly be Mike or another caretaker. When her door was quietly pushed open her suspicions were confirmed. Foxy stood in front of her with wide eyes. His heart was racing inside of his chest and his breathing was uneven. Nobody could blame the kid for being petrified.   
“Come on.” He whispered out as he grabbed ahold of her wrist and drug her out into the hall.

Foxy led Chica down the right and through the halls, passing many closed doors.

Neither of them spoke for fear of alerting a guard of their escape. Foxy was holding Chica’s wrist so tight that it may have bruised later if they survived this. Chica didn’t bother to let him know that he was hurting her; she would have rather been bruised and have a sore arm than be yanked away into the darkness. The bathroom had one very important key to their escape.

The bathroom had windows far wider than any of the cells had. This entire floor was on the second story of the building. A fall from this high would definitely leave a little more than a bruise. A large tree loomed outside of the window. If they managed to get that window open they could climb out onto the tree and walk along one of its branches that reached over the barbed wire fence. The journey through the woods would be a horrifying one but they could reach somewhere to call home. Maybe a nice family would take them in?

They’d have to work the details out later. Their main focus right then was escaping.

Foxy let go of her hand once they reached the seclusion of the bathroom.   
“Okay, I uh.” Foxy gazed up at the window. “We need to find something to boost ourselves up.”

Chica gave a curt nod and began to look around the room for anything that they could stand on.

The window was up too high for them to even properly see out of. Chica and Foxy began scanning the area for anything useful. When nothing of use was discovered she turned to see if Foxy had any better luck. Instead of seeing the redhead in front of her, however…   
“ _ Chica! _ ” Foxy screamed out. In front of Chica stood Gold. The black eyed child stared at her with that dead expression of his. She took several panicked steps back, shaking her head as tears yet again found their way to her eyes.

“ _ No!! _ ” Chica wailed out desperately. “ _ Why can’t you just leave us alone? Just let us go!! _ ”

Gold twitched as two bright white pupils emerged from the darkness that was his eyes.

Chica’s stomach twisted as he took a step towards her. He clearly had no intentions of acknowledging her pleads. Gold backed the small girl against the wall with a grin.   
He reached his hand out to grab ahold of her.   
“ ** _Go to hell!_ ** ” Foxy screamed out as he plunged his knife into Gold’s shoulder.

The blonde boy’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks as he gasped out. His voice was hoarse and raspy as if he hadn’t used it in years. Foxy yanked the knife out of the boy’s shoulder before driving it deep into his neck. A mixture of blood and what appeared to be black tar oozed from the wounds as Gold took several steps away from Chica in an attempt to shake the redhead off of his back. Foxy wasn’t budging. Chica pulled herself off of the wall and rushed Gold, grabbing ahold of the front of his tattered shirt in an attempt to pull him to the ground. Gold was unfortunately much stronger than her, though. Instead of falling to the ground he let out an animalistic growl and reached his hand up to grab at the handle of the knife that was still lodged into his neck. With one good sudden jerk, he managed to both pull the weapon out of his own neck and send Foxy stumbling off of him. In a blur of motion he spun around. The moonlight that bled in from the window shone off the bloody knives surface as it slashed open Foxy’s neck.

Gold vanished as suddenly as he had appeared in a black mist.

Chica stood in shock, watching as blood gushed from Foxy’s throat.   
The redheaded boy stared at Chica. He looked scared. Chica rushed over to him as he fell. She barely made it in time to keep him from hitting the cold tile floor.    
“F-Foxy.” Chica croaked out. She was cradling his head as he stared up at her, gasping for air as thick tears streamed down his cheeks. He was trying to speak but was choking on his own blood. Chica shook her head, begging to some unseen force to stop him from dying.

“ _ I…. _ ” Foxy choked out, gurgling his own blood as he violently shook. “ _ -don’t wanna ... die. _ ”

Chica put her hand over Foxy’s wound, attempting to stop the bleeding. It was useless.

She couldn’t even cover the entire cut with both of her hands combined. “ _ Foxy… _ ” 

Foxy’s shaking began to die down as the fear in his eyes began to fade and he began to relax.

Chica buried her face in Foxy’s chest, sobbing as he died in her arms.


	7. Stains

How could Chica leave Foxy here? She couldn’t bear to leave him lying dead on the bathroom floor like this. His blood had stained her skin and soaked into her clothes. The sight of him had made her want to puke initially but she found herself pulling Foxy’s corpse closer as the reality of his death set in. She had been lucky to not have seen Bonnie or Freddy’s demise; whatever it may have been. Seeing what Gold had done to Foxy made her fearful to even wonder.

There was nothing she could do for Foxy. She was well aware that he was dead.

Somehow leaving him here felt horribly wrong, though. He couldn’t even escape this hell in his death. The girl reluctantly pulled herself away from Foxy, leaving him leaning against the wall. His eyes were closed and his body was completely limp. If it weren’t for his blood and slit throat it would have looked like the boy was simply sleeping. 

Chica wasn’t really sure how long she’d spent in the bathroom clinging to Foxy’s body.

After she had leaned him against the wall with the intention of leaving, she found herself curling up onto his chest. She rested her cheek against his bloody shirt, closing her eyes tight as the silence nearly suffocated her. He didn’t breathe to break the noise. His heart wasn’t beating in fear. He was gone. Foxy was really dead.

Chica couldn’t help but let out every tear she had, exhausting herself in the process. 

Her heavy eyes drifted up to stare at the window that they had been trying to break out of. 

There was no possible way she’d be able to get that thing open on her own. Her best bet at escaping was finding another way out… She sat up slowly, removing her head from its resting place on Foxy’s chest. She was going to leave The Ward alone; leaving all of her friends behind.

The nightmares wouldn’t stay here, though. They’d plague her until the day she died.

“ _ I’m sorry, Foxy… _ ” She whispered out in a shaky voice. At least he hadn’t died alone like the others. Chica sniffled and wiped the snot from her nose and the tears from her eyes.

Gold’s whereabouts were a complete mystery to Chica. He could have been just around the corner this entire time; watching her shake and weep like the scared child she was.

The thought of that horrible creature lingering around to watch her mourn the death of his latest victim made Chica want to burst into tears again. Part of her wanted to call Gold out; screaming and cursing at him for all he’d done. The risk of that action leading to him offing her right there and then kept her mouth shut. Despite the fact that her legs were still trembling, Chica stood.

She stared down at Foxy for a long moment before gaining enough strength to whisper out in a low, broken voice. “ _ Goodbye… _ ”

  
  


How long were these hallways? Had they been this long before? Chica wrapped her arms around herself as she continued on down the dark halls. Maybe it was the lack of company that made her journey back seem never ending and hopeless. This entire situation was hopeless if she were being honest, though. One slip up would get herself caught and locked back into her cell without another chance at escape. Either she escaped tonight or died here.

The girl couldn’t help but shudder as she finally made it back to the main room.

Her eyes fell to where Bonnie would sit on the couch for a brief moment.

Foxy’s toy ship was missing from the table and Freddy’s sketchpad was nowhere in sight.

Had they been put away elsewhere? Chica wasn’t entirely sure and couldn’t be bothered to care at the moment. Her eyes drifted up to the small office where Mike often sat, watching them all from the windows. That seemed to be part of his job, afterall. He observed them all; making sure they didn’t get into any trouble…. He was terrible at his job.

There he sat. Mike was staring down at a newspaper silently. A hot cup of something sat next to him. Steam rolled out of the white mug and the warmth of the drink made Chica feel even more cold and hopeless. She felt certain that if Gold didn’t get her she was sure to freeze to death without her pitiful bed sheet. Mike hadn’t spotted her, thankfully. She was silently peering from around the corner. The man seemed completely absorbed into whatever he was reading.

Chica wanted to run into Mike’s embrace and be comforted and protected. 

He hadn’t stopped Gold from taking Bonnie, though. Did he even really care about any of them or was it merely a mind game to keep them in line? Chica felt a small part of her very being ache. She had lost all of her friends to the horrors that this prison harbored and she wasn’t even sure if Mike had ever been her friend. In the short time she’d been here the man had grown on her. He was the only one of the workers that showed her any kindness. She didn’t even know any of the other caretakers names.

Pushing down her urge to run to Mike and cling to him like a lifeline, Chica lowered herself to her knees on the cold floor. She began to crawl through the darkness on her belly. The only light was the glow from the office windows. Mike’s face was completely buried in the newspaper which gave Chica more cover than she could’ve hoped for. Walking by the office would have been too risky, especially if Mike looked up from the paper even for a moment.

It only took Chica a minute to crawl past the office. The door was wide open, allowing the yellow overhead lights of the office to slip into the hallway. She made sure to shuffle past the door as fast as she could, making her way through the light and back into the darkness.

Once the office was behind her, Chica stood with a huff.

She had never been down this hallway before. This was the direction they had taken Freddy…   
Realizing that she was completely out of her element here, Chica clenched her fists tight.

If Foxy were with her, he may have been able to guide her through these halls.

If Foxy were still alive they would have slipped out the window and been into the woods already.

_ Foxy… _

_ “Dammit...” _ A voice hissed out down the hall. It was so faint that even in the dead quiet of the night it nearly went unheard. Chica froze in place. It was a voice that she knew… It was Freddy. The hallway in front of her was dark and long but led to a single door. The others that lined the walls were locked tight. Was that door at the end of the hall where Freddy was? He wasn’t dead!   
Chica bounded down the hall with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. She wasn’t alone!

_ “Freddy!!” _ She hissed out in a whisper. When she reached the door at the end of the hall she pushed it open with a huff. Her little heart was racing in both panic and excitement. She wasn’t alone! The room in front of her was dimly lit by old yellow lights that hung from the ceiling. They buzzed and flickered; filling the room with a creepy glow that seemed almost otherworldly.

Chica’s throat tightened as she looked around the odd room. Several shelves were pressed up against walls. Some contained books and folders while others were lined with bottles of pills. 

What was this room?   
  
“ _ Chica! _ ” Freddy’s voice called out in excitement. Chica turned and caught sight of an odd looking door along the wall to her right. It was made of glass, it seemed. The room beyond the glass was plain aside from a small bed where Freddy sat, chained to the metal frame.

Chica wasted no time in rushing over. Freddy was alive and that meant that Bonnie could be as well. The brunette slipped off of the bed he was chained to and took a small step away from it.

“I thought that-” Chica shook her head as she fought back happy tears. If she hadn’t already cried every tear she had ten minutes ago there would be tears streaming down her face.

“Let me out.” Freddy interrupted her with a serious expression. He was just as happy to see her as she was to see him but there was no time to stand around.

“How?” Chica saw no way that she could possibly break Freddy out without one of the caretakers hearing and rushing inside. There was another hallway in the room that stretched on for what seemed like forever. The Ward seemed to be long and endless.

“.....Why are you covered in blood?”

Chica stilled at the question. She clenched her little fists and began to breathe heavier.

“I… Foxy-”

“Dear god…” Freddy muttered and raised his free hand to cover his face.

“Chica, there’s… Look for something that I can cut this with.” The boy lifted his arm up and waved it around, rattling the handcuffs that kept him trapped to the bed.

Despite the flood of emotions that Chica was experiencing, she found it in herself to nod and turn. There had to be something on one of these shelves that Freddy could cut the chain with.

The child began rummaging through the shelves as quietly as she could, throwing things that were of no use to her quietly aside. Nothing sharp caught her eye, unfortunately.

Just as she was about to give up, something caught her eye on a nearby table. 

A caretaker had left a half empty mug of coffee next to a brown paper bag.

There was a wadded up burger wrapper next to a hairbrush and… a bobby pin.

Chica wasn’t sure if Freddy knew how to pick a lock but it was worth a shot. Wasting no time, she rushed back over to the glass door. Chica waved the bobby pin in her hand.

“Do you know how to pick a lock?” She asked in a quiet voice. Freddy stared at her for a long moment in silence. She took that as a resounding no. Despite this, Chica knelt down onto her knees and sat the pin on the floor. With a flick of her fingers the pin was sent sliding across the smooth tile floor and under the glass door. The space between the floor and the bottom of the door was wide enough for Chica to stick her fingers under if she wished; it was plenty big enough to slip the bobby pin under. Freddy reached out his foot and began pulling the pin closer to himself. Even though he was going into this with no experience ever trying to pick a lock, he was going to give it a shot.   
“I’m leaving.” Chica said softly. Her choice of words were poor and made Freddy panic for a split second. His eyes widened and he looked up at the girl with a desperate expression; one that silently begged for her to stay with him and wait for him to get out.

Chica was sitting on the floor now with her legs crossed. She had no intention of leaving.

“Leaving where?” Freddy asked shakily as he looked down to the cuffs. He slipped the pin into the keyhole, attempting to figure out how to get it unlocked.   
“Here. The ward.” Chica said flatly. She sounded exhausted.

Freddy didn’t bother to glance up at her. He was completely focused on freeing himself.   
“Yeah? How do you plan to do that, exactly?” There was doubt in his voice. How could Chica possibly get out of here? Mike wasn’t going to just walk her to the exit and unlock it for her.

“Me and… Foxy were going to break the bathroom window.”

“And fall to your death?” Freddy scoffed. Chica shook her head frantically.   
“No! There’s a tree! We were going to climb down.”

“It’s been raining, Chica.” Freddy huffed. Chica blinked in confusion.   
“And?” Chica clearly wasn’t understanding a thing. Freddy let out an annoyed huff; moreso at his failure of picking the lock thus far than Chica’s ignorance.

“The tree would be very slippery. You’d slip and fall to your deaths.”

Chica winced at the mental image. “Oh…”

Another annoyed grunt from Freddy grabbed Chica’s attention.   
“Can you not get it?” She asked softly. Freddy looked up at her in annoyance, again annoyed by his failure rather than the blonde girl on the other side of his prison.

“What does it look like, Chica?” He huffed. Chica shifted and leaned forward, resting her side against the glass door with a tired glance up at Freddy.

“So how do you suggest we get out of here?” Chica asked softly.

“Simple. We don’t.” Freddy spat in a cold, hopeless voice.

“We can at least try.” Chica murmured. Freddy shook his head as he plunged the pin back into the cuffs. He was visibly growing more frustrated by the moment.   
“Yeah.” He said simply with a shake of his head. “We’re gonna get caught, Chica. I hope you know that. They’re going to see us and throw us back in our cells.”

Chica didn’t bother to acknowledge Freddy’s negativity.

“What have they been doing to you back here?” She asked softly in an attempt to change the subject. Freddy didn’t bother to look at her as he replied.

“They’re giving me some kind of new medicine.” He grumbled.

So she wasn’t the only one being given medication…

Freddy raised his free arm to point to his wrists that had been rubbed raw from attempts to get out of the cuffs. Chica cringed at the sight of his dried blood and reddened skin.

“And they’re injecting something into me, too.” He added with a frustrated sigh.   
Chica’s eyes widened in interest. “What is it?”

“They won’t tell me.” Freddy said irritably. “Whatever it is, it’s black and gooey and smells like death.” Chica looked at Freddy with a sympathetic look as he continued to rant.

“It makes me want to vomit and sleep all day. They won’t tell me why I’m back here, either. I thought they were going to kill me.” 

Chica’s eyes scanned across the room he was locked inside. Was it some kind of solitary confinement? Why had they taken Freddy to begin with? Chica was well aware that she wasn’t going to get answers to those questions. 

“This-” Freddy spoke up angrily. “This isn’t going to work.”

Chica looked at the pin that was peeking out of the handcuff’s keyhole. She needed to find the key. She didn’t hesitate before standing up with a shiver.

“Any idea where the key is, then?” She asked softly.

Freddy shook his head no. “I wish it were that easy… Check the office down the hall.”

Chica swallowed thickly and glanced down the hallway. This one thankfully was lit up, even though the lights were old, yellow and dim. It was better than creeping through unfamiliar territory in the dark. 

“Hurry.” Freddy said softly. His voice calmed Chica to a degree. She wasn’t alone, at least.

“If you’re alive then…” She went silent and looked to Freddy with a desperate look on her face.

Freddy was quiet. He either didn’t know what she was about to ask or didn’t want to cut her off.

“....Do you think that Bonnie…?” Chica couldn’t quite spit out that last part.

Freddy heistantly looked down at the handcuffs with a wince.

“I can’t tell you that, Chic… Just hurry.” 

There was a tone in the boy’s voice that gave away his underlying sadness.

Now wasn’t the time for crying, though. There was a slim chance that they could get away from all of this and that’s all Freddy needed to keep it together for the moment being.

Chica didn’t say another word before heading down the hall. As she left Freddy alone, he felt a sickening sense of dread as he returned to messing with the lock. He hated being alone. 


	8. So Nearly Free

A key. She needed to find the key to Freddy’s cell and cuffs. Somehow breaking the glass didn’t seem like the wisest plan if they had any hope of staying quiet and undetected. Freddy had said there was an office down here somewhere. It only took her a few minutes to reach another glass door. There was a name painted on the glass that let everyone know who owned the little space. Chica paid no attention to the blue lettering across the glass pane.

This had to be the office that Freddy had talked about. The glass was crystal clear, letting the child see that nobody was inside. Chica grabbed ahold of the doorknob and twisted. She was a little surprised that it was unlocked. Whether someone had forgotten to lock it or the office always remained unlocked wasn’t clear. Anyone could walk in and see the important things hidden away inside. Weren’t there important files here? …..Files. Files with information on all of the patients of the ward. There was no time to dig through them, though. Her reason for being placed here didn’t matter; how she was getting out did. Chica hurried over to the dark wooden desk that sat in the center of the room with the hope that the staff kept the keys in one of the drawers. She searched and nearly tore the office apart looking for the key but couldn’t find a single thing of use. A container of paperclips was carelessly tossed to the floor in her search. The clips slid across the floor, decorating the plain white tile in shimmering shades of silver. Chica huffed in annoyance as she looked around the mess she’d made. There was no point in cleaning it, really. There was no time to, either.

She needed to find the key to Freddy’s cell and get him out. Chica wasn’t leaving the ward alone that night. 

After she had emptied every single drawer on that desk without finding the key she turned instead to the shelves that lined the walls. In between the books and folders sat little plastic tubs. Maybe the key was inside of one of the containers. She was willing to look anywhere at this point. Chica grabbed onto one of the plastic tubs and pulled it off of the shelf. She didn’t bat an eye as the removal of the container caused the surrounding books to fall over with soft thuds.

Inside of the clear plastic was an assortment of varying items. The contents of the tubs were mostly garbage; old pictures, keychains, ect. It seemed to be a personal tub that belonged to whoever owned this office. Chica put the tub aside once she had determined that none of its contents would be of any help to her. There was no way of telling how long she had until someone came snooping around and saw her tearing the office apart; there was absolutely no time to rest. Another tub was filtered through and another until she reached the fourth plastic container. Inside was a small ring with several keys on it. The shimmering silver and false gold of the keys caught Chica’s eye and she wasted no time in fishing them out with an excited tremble. She had actually found them. Not wanting to overstay her welcome in the now-cluttered office, Chica slipped back out into the hall from where she’d come from and hurried back.

When Freddy’s face came back into view it was a breath of relief. Any worries that Gold would come and steal Freddy away in her absence melted away as those big dopey blue eyes locked with hers.

“About time…” Freddy said in a gentle tone that let her know beyond a shadow of a doubt that his words were playful. Chica smiled and made her way over to the door that separated her from her only remaining friend. She filtered through the keys one by one; trying each of them until she found the correct one. The door opened silently and Chica made sure to not let it hit the wall as it came open. Once she was sure that the door was still and no longer a threat of making noise, she rushed inside of the small room and pulled Freddy into a tight hug. Her little hands grasped at the back of his shirt as he hugged her back just as tight. He had missed her. He had missed everyone. Chica laughed softly as a few warm tears trickled down her plump cheeks. She wasn’t alone; Freddy’s warmth and the pounding of his heart were enough to ground her to reality and find a reason to keep going on and not give up. 

Freddy didn’t seem to care about the blood she no doubt got onto his light blue T-shirt. It was an article of clothing and nothing more. Chica’s embrace meant so much more than a piece of fabric. Freddy shook ever so slightly. It had felt like years since he’d been hugged and he didn’t shy away from the much needed contact. The two children clung to each other with shaking bodies; desperate for a promise that their lives would be spared that night.

“We need to…” Freddy hesitantly took a step back, pulling out of the hug. The loss of contact made him want to cry. His attention returned to the handcuffs that kept him chained to the bed almost immediately. Before he could say another word Chica was already fumbling with the keys and leaning towards the lock. The key for the handcuffs was much smaller than any of the other keys on the ring so it took no time at all before Freddy was free. The brunette rubbed at his wrist with a wince as Chica clung to the keyring firmly. She wasn’t sure if they’d need this again. There were many locked doors throughout The Ward so keeping the keys on hand was only logical. “Thank you…” Freddy muttered gratefully. Chica leaned forward and grabbed onto Freddy’s good wrist gently. She turned and began leading him down the hallway.

“You’re welcome.”

* * *

  
  


The two crept down the darkened halls of The Ward slowly and quietly. They held onto each other with interlocked fingers. They weren’t going to lose each other in this darkness; their lives depended on sticking together. Their footsteps were slow and steady as they crept through the quiet of the night. Chica had certainly expected more security to be lurking about. Weren’t there supposed to be night guards patrolling the halls? Whether there was actually anyone hired to keep watch this far into the ward was unclear. Mike would no doubt be in severe trouble for letting three of the children under his watch escape; not to mention one was dead in the bathrooms. Shock had no doubt numbed Chica enough to be able to think (somewhat) coherently. Freddy’s presence was helping her stay afloat and not sink down into insanity. 

“Hey.” Freddy whispered out in a soft voice. Chica froze dead in her tracks and turned to face the boy. Her brows knitted together in confusion; silently asking what he wanted.

Freddy lifted a hand up to point at a red wooden door along the wall. There was a tinted glass window near the top of it but attempting to peer inside was pointless. Seeing through the fogged glass was impossible. Judging by the name along the glass, It was another office.

“Maybe there’s a fire escape map.” Freddy whispered with a hopeful tone in his voice.

Chica looked at him with a confused expression. Why would they need that?  
“Are we setting a fire?” She questioned wearily. The idea of setting The Ward ablaze horrified her. What if they couldn’t make it out and burnt to death? If there was any chance that Bonnie had somehow survived as well, she didn’t want him to succumb to the blaze.

Freddy shook his head without hesitation. “No, no… It will show us every nearby escape route, Chica. It’s literally our map to freedom.” As Freddy explained this to the blonde, she couldn’t help but shiver. The mere thought of being left alone here was petrifying to her; could she really do the same to Bonnie if he was still alive somewhere in here? Freddy saw the conflicted look on her face and frowned. His eyes filled with concern as his frown grew.

“What is it?” The boy asked. Chica rubbed her arms and sheepishly looked at the floor.

“What if… Bonnie is alive? We can’t just abandon him in here.”

Freddy placed a firm hand on Chica’s shoulder. The contact made Chica flinch initially.

When Freddy spoke, the smaller child only grew more sick to her stomach.

“There’s no way he is, Chica. I’m alive because I was taken by the caretakers. Gold got him...right?” As Freddy asked the question, Chica blinked in confusion.

“How do you know that Gold got him?” 

Freddy took his fingers off of Chica’s shoulders and turned away to face the office door instead.

“He wasn’t with me, was he?” The boy muttered as he opened the office door.

Chica was uneasy. Freddy was acting weird but now wasn’t the time to press him.

Light as a feather on her feet, Chica stepped inside of the office and looked around.

There was an ugly brown wallpaper plastered to the walls with golden spirals of floral designs tracing their edges. The gold bled down the wall, looking like it was lightning rippling against the brown, peeling sky. There was a strong smell of rotting wood that filled the little room.

Due to the door having been closed before the two arrived, the smell was so strong it was nearly unbearable. Freddy let out a sound akin to a gag as Chica’s bright blue eyes began scanning the walls for a fire escape route. Sure enough, whether luck lead them here or Freddy was just a clever little bastard, there was one. It hung on the wall with a glossy cover, showing the entire map of The Ward. They were upstairs; that was about all the kids knew before stumbling across the map. Chica came closer to the map and placed her cold little fingers on its glossy surface, examining it closely. There was a flight of stairs that led down to the bottom floor nearby. Chica assumed that heading down would be their safest bet on getting out of here.

Freddy was glancing between Chica and the map in silence, clearly agitated and wanting to say something. Unfortunately, Chica didn’t notice the nervous way Freddy kept shifting his weight from foot to foot. Freddy felt as if he was sinking into some alternate mindset; one that was _ very _ aware of every sound and movement in the room. The shifting of reality felt like it was choking him and he wanted to vomit. He was well aware that he couldn’t do so.

* * *

“Are you serious?” Chica questioned in a shaky voice. The girl was clinging to Freddy’s arm as gently as she could manage in her fear. The stairwell had only taken a few minutes to reach but the overhead lights that should’ve been shining down from the ceiling had burnt out. The stairwell was so dark in fact that once the door Freddy was currently holding open closed, there would be absolutely no light whatsoever to guide their way down to the main floor.

“It’s this or death.” Freddy reminded her darkly. Chica winced at how blunt the boy was being but didn’t bother to scold him for it; he was only telling the truth, afterall.

“Can’t we find a flashlight or something?” Chica managed to ask rather meekly. When Freddy gently nudged her forward, his answer became clear. They’d have to cling to the railing and slowly make their way down. There was simply no time to scrounge around for a source of light.

It most likely wouldn’t take long before someone found that the kids were gone if they hadn’t made the discovery already. Every inch of the building would be put on lockdown and security would be sent out to sweep every inch of the building for their missing patients.

“Hurry.” Freddy murmured softly with an urgency in his voice. Chica shivered and wrapped her arms around her own chest, desperate to feel something other than the fear coursing through her body and the chilly air of the stairwell. As Chica took that first step into the darkness, a new emotion swept over her; a new kind of fear that felt different than it had earlier that night.

There was no way of seeing what was lingering further down the stairs once Freddy let that door close. Gold could be a few mere inches from their faces and they wouldn’t even know it.

Freddy reached out and grabbed ahold of Chica’s arm, then interlocked their elbows.

The door slowly shut behind them and left them in the dark. 

“We’re going to be fine, Chica.” Freddy promised in a small, meek voice.

Despite his attempts to calm her, Chica felt nothing but fear and nausea.

The two children slowly descended the stairs, trembling from both fear and the cold air.

Their shaky breathing was the only sound bouncing off the walls besides their soft footsteps.

Freedom was theirs for the taking if they could only reach the main floor. If that meant wading through darkness for what seemed like an eternity, then so be it.


	9. So Sweet It's Sick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot! Almost finished. I'm very sick at the moment but I'm writing as much as I can.

The journey down the stairs was a long and torturous one. Both Freddy and Chica would jump at the slightest noise the other made. To say that they were on edge would be an understatement. Chica kept opening and closing her eyes tight as if doing so would help her see through the thick blanket of darkness. When a small, faint source of light came into view, relief and excitement washed over the kids. That was the door to the main floor! It had to be.

Freddy nearly let go of Chica and hurried down to the metal door before deciding against it.

Even though they wouldn’t lose each other in the dark anymore, there was no way in hell he was letting her go. They needed to stick together whether there was light or not.

The large green metal door had a small window near the top of it. Neither of them could really see out of it that well due to their short little legs. Freddy was the one to reach out and grasp onto the handle first. The hinges of the giant door creaked in protest as it was pulled open, giving the kids passage into completely unknown territory. Whatever lurked on this floor of The Ward was a complete mystery to them. Their only guide to this strange area was what they had been able to memorize of the map. Hopefully it would be enough to get them out.

Freddy walked out onto the glossy black and white checkered tiles with a determined bounce in his step. He was going to lead himself and Chica out of here once and for all. 

As the green door behind them fell shut Chica pushed herself closer against Freddy.

This floor was much easier to see. There were definitely more lights on down here. They seemingly always remained on. Unlike the floor above, the space down here was much more open. The halls were wider and there was a pleasant smell in the air.

It reminded Chica of some sort of air freshener that she couldn’t quite name. Where had she smelled it, anyway? Whatever the scent was, it was sickly sweet and left an odd taste in her mouth. The hallway was drenched in the scent. Freddy grabbed ahold of Chica’s hand and began pulling her down the hall; both determined to slip into freedom and get away from the overpowering smell. Chica didn’t protest to moving away from the offending smell; the entire place reeked of something familiar that was driving her mad. Even though the smell lessened greatly the further away they got from the stairwell, Chica was unable to shove down her urge to vomit. She stopped dead in her tracks, pulled away from Freddy and bent over; spilling her dinner all over the floor. Freddy took several disgusted steps away. His face was fixed into one of horror. Apparently the sight was too much for the boy to bare and he spun around, turning his back on Chica. The smell of vomit now overpowered the sweet scent and it had Freddy longing for the disgusting artificial mystery smell over Chica’s dinner.

“Come- come on.” Freddy gagged and continued walking. He didn’t turn back to look at Chica; the mere sight of her vomit would have sent him over the edge and his own dinner would decorate the tiles at his feet. Chica sniffled as her eyes watered. She managed to wipe her eyes with a burp. The taste of bile was stuck in her mouth and it made her want to cry.

She stood up and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. Hopefully there was water nearby…

Chica caught up to Freddy and the two continued on down the hallway. According to the map upstairs, there was a pretty straight shot to the front doors but both of them highly doubted that slipping out would be as simple as that. There not only would be a security system active but there had to be at least one security guard lurking about on this floor. 

“Come on.” Freddy whispered out again as he took hold of Chica’s arm. The girl was growing rather tired of hearing those two words. It wasn’t like she was lagging behind or intending on staying here. Freddy knew that she wanted to get out just as much as him. 

“I know.” Chica hissed out with a somewhat aggravated tone in her voice. Freddy either didn’t catch the venom her words carried or didn’t care enough to acknowledge them.

She was clearly feeling sick and arguing would get them nowhere. 

Chica shakily brought a hand up to hold onto her throat gently. It felt sore and her nose was stuffy. She wanted to lie down for a while but Freddy’s constant movement away from her was enough to get her to shake it off and push on. Freddy pulled her along like a mother guiding her child to safety. With Chica not feeling well, Freddy felt even more compelled to protect her and lead her to freedom. He swallowed thickly as they rounded another corner and pressed on.

“It’s going to be alright, Chica. We’re going to get out of here and away from all of this. No more medicine, no more Gold.” Freddy’s words did comfort Chica to a degree but the thought of leaving Foxy’s corpse and Bonnie (who she wasn’t even sure was alive) made her want to pull away from Freddy and stumble back upstairs. Surely Bonnie was locked away somewhere in a cell. He had to be upstairs somewhere if he was still around. The pounding headache washing over Chica made her too weak to function much on her own. She pitifully let Freddy drag her along; nothing more than a ragdoll being yanked toward her fate that she hadn’t even chosen.

Sure, she  _ had _ planned her breakout with Foxy and let Freddy lead her downstairs but something felt… off. It was as if her fate was already sealed and she was just being washed down a river into it all. Several moments passed before it dawned on Chica that her feet had stopped moving and she was no longer being pulled along. Her heavy blue eyes drifted up slowly and when she caught sight of what had caused Freddy to stop… she wished she would have remained staring at the floor. It was Gold.

The blonde boy was standing in the center of the hallway. His hair was dirty and frizzy; clearly unkempt. His hands remained at his sides. The pale skin of his fingers was scratched up and bloody. The wounds looked as if they may have been self-inflicted. His clothes were tattered and torn and his eyes were pitch black. Tears were running down his face but the liquid looked more like tar than human tears. His teeth were chattering together as if he were cold. By the way his body was trembling, Chica assumed he was. The sides of the boy’s mouth still had the horrid cuts along his cheeks and the stitches that kept the flesh on his cheeks pulled together.

A familiar smell washed over Freddy and Chica, drowning out any lingering smell of the sickeningly sweet air freshener. Death, rotting flesh, mucus, blood and smoke.

Chica turned and leaned over, dry heaving as she fell to her knees. Freddy glanced back at her with concern before stepping in front of her to protect her. Freddy trembled as he opened his mouth to plead with the other boy down the hall. His voice came out pathetic and shaky.

“It’s okay, Gold. Just let us go. You don’t have to do this.”

Gold cocked his head sideways in a curious manner and two white pupils flickered to life in his hollow eye sockets. Gold opened his mouth in an attempt to communicate but the only sound that left his mouth was a series of horrifying, blood curdling hisses and moans.

His entire body shook as he did so; making Freddy wonder if the action was hurting him in the process. Freddy took another defensive step in front of Chica, shielding her from whatever Gold had in mind for them. “ _ Please… _ ” Came Chica’s croaky voice from the floor where she was hunched over, sucking in deep, panicked breaths. Gold took a step to the side so that he could see around Freddy. He stared at the girl hunched over on the floor with a wide grin.

He let out a groan and took a step closer. Before the monster could take another step towards them, Freddy spun around and grabbed ahold of Chica’s arm. A pained yelp echoed throughout the hall as he yanked her up to her feet and darted down another hallway.

Gold let out a loud scream and chased after the two without hesitation. Chica’s vision blurred and her head spun as her legs struggled to keep up with Freddy’s fast pace.

She looked over her shoulder and caught sight of a blur of gold and… purple? Purple!   
_ “Bonnie!!” _ She screamed out as tears rolled down her cheeks. Freddy briefly paused to catch his breath. Sure enough (to his disbelief) there stood Bonnie. The boy had his back turned to them but was holding Gold off. The two boys had their fingers interlocked and they were pushing against each other. Both of them seemed somewhat evenly matched but Bonnie seemed to be giving in rather quickly. Chica watched in horror as the purple-haired boy leg swept Gold before staggering back several feet to watch him collide with the cold, hard floor.

“Chica!” Freddy hissed as he attempted to pull her away down yet another hallway. They were nearing the front now, Freddy knew. They were almost there.

“Bonnie will catch up!” Freddy insisted in a desperate plea as he tried to tug Chica along with him. “He’s getting stronger again-” As soon as those words left Freddy’s mouth, Chica knew that something was terribly wrong. She turned to Freddy with wide, horrified. Her small form shook as she sucked in sharp, painful breaths. What in the hell was going on.

“What do you… What are you talking about?” She asked with a confused shake of her head.

Freddy panted and stared down at her, sparing a few quick glances up at Gold who was making his way back to his feet. There was no time to explain. They had to move.

Freddy turned and began running off without her as fast as his legs could carry him.

At that moment, Chica’s heart shattered into a million pieces.  _ Freddy had left her. _

_ He left her to die. _ Before Chica could decide between following him or crying, someone grabbed her by the back of her shirt and began pulling her down the hall towards Freddy.

Getting used to being manhandled like a doll, Chica was quick to carry her own weight as she began running alongside Bonnie. The boy was pulling her along but kept his face averted, staring down at the floor so she couldn’t see it. Before she could ask him how he got there, survived or if he was okay, Freddy’s voice boomed down the hall in front of them.

“The front door is two halls away!!” He shouted with a hint of hope in his weak, tired voice.

Chica tried to maintain her breathing as best she could. Her hand found its way to Bonnie’s and the two clutched onto each other for dear life as they fled death.


End file.
